MANILA, Philippines – KAPUWA hinahangad ng Pilipinas at France ang mas malalim na pagtutulungan sa imprastraktura, aviation, railways, agrikultura, cybersecurity, film, human capital, at turismo.
Inihayag ito ng dalawang bansa sa isinagawang 11th Joint Economic Committee (JEC) meeting, araw ng Martes.
Sa katunayan, sinabi ni Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Allan B. Gepty na ang mga proyekto “basically reflect the strong economic relations of the Philippines with France” at ang mga ugnayan ay “very promising… especially as we embark on a deeper and permanent trade relations as we forge the free trade agreements (FTA) with the European Union (EU).”
Ayon sa DTI, ang France ang pang-19 na trading partner ng Pilipinas noong 2024, na may kabuuang trade value na US$1.54 billion, ang sinasabing ’20th largest export market. ‘
Ipinagpatuloy ng EU at Pilipinas ang FTA negotiations noong March 2024 at nagsasagawa ng pag-uuusap ngayong taon, nakaayon sa pagsusulong ani Gepty para sa “deeper and permanent” trade ties.
Para naman sa panig ng French, sinabi ni Magali Cesana, pinuno ng Bilateral Affairs sa French Treasury at JEC co-chair ng France, ang pipeline ng Philippine projects “could interest French companies,” idagdag pa na “we have a lot of work to do to increase our bilateral trade and for it to be as high as it should be.”
Pinaigting naman ng development-finance network (AFD/Proparco) ng France ang suporta sa Pilipinas, partikular na ang para sa malinis na enerhiya at climate-transition programs, senyales ng oporrunidad na nakaayon sa pagtutulak na ito.
Gayundin, sa 11th JEC, isinapinal naman ng Pilipinas at France ang isang ‘highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) “regionalization” arrangement, pinayagan ang French poultry exports sa Pilipinas mula sa disease-free zones.
Ito’y matapos na ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas, sa pamamagitan ng Department of Agriculture (DA), binawi na ang pagbabawal o ban sa importasyon ng domestic at wild birds at maging ang poultry products mula France noong nakaraang Marso.
Nauna rito, iniulat ng French veterinary authorities sa World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) na ang lahat ng napaulat na kaso ng HPAI ay nagtapos na na may resolved status at walang karagdagang outbreaks matapos ang February 4, 2025.
Sinabi naman ni Gepty, DTI undersecretary for International Trade at Philippines’ co-chair sa 11th JEC, na: “That’s the value of having this regular Joint Economic Committee meeting, because this … serves as a platform by which we can address all these issues and challenges. And maybe to give one accomplishment, for example, in this JEC meeting is that we were able to finalize the HPAI regionalization arrangement, which will basically facilitate now the exportation of poultry products from France to the Philippines, so these are market access issues that we have been addressing in the course of time.”
At nang tanungin kung napag-usapan ang isyu ng korapsyon, sinabi naman ni Cesana na , “Yes, of course it’s a question we discussed… It’s a necessity to fight against corruption, and to create a sound climate business for the attractiveness of the Philippine territory… They didn’t avoid the questions and they were committed… they want to improve the business climate.”
Sa panig naman ng Pilipinas, winika ni Gepty na “corruption is a problem that is not unique to the Philippines… Any issue that would hinder the facilitation of our engagement… we have to discuss that and find solution,” sabay sabing kabilang sa paksa at usapin na kasalukuyang pinag-uusapan kasama ang mga partners ay ang “good governance” bukod sa kalakalan. Kris Jose
